Eric Zarnikow: Making smart college choices

It seems like every other day a new article or study addresses the value of a college education.

A recent New York Times article reviews the latest evidence and concludes that “college is a no brainer. It’s the most reliable ticket to the middle class and beyond.”

We agree, but with one important caveat: College makes more sense, and has a more positive upside over the long term, when students and their families can make informed educational choices.

As the Illinois agency focused on making college more affordable and accessible for students in the state, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission initiated a public awareness campaign called “College changes everything,” because we believe that it can.

College not only clearly increases earning power, but it can benefit the individual and the community in myriad ways, such as decreasing levels of crime, recidivism, poverty and obesity, and increasing levels of happiness and life expectancy.

But we also know that for many families across Illinois and the country, attending college is just a dream. Low-income families, immigrants and those with little or no college-going experience often don’t have access to information and resources to help them navigate the increasingly complicated process, much less understand how to obtain financial aid, if they even know it exists.

They may not consider college an option at all. Or if they do go, they lack of access to sound college and career planning, which can result in costly choices that may increase the time to obtain a degree, the likelihood of dropping out or an increase in their student-loan debt.

Our goal is not just to help students get to college, but to give them the objective, relevant and timely information they need to make smart educational choices that are right for them.

We also administer about $400 million in grants and scholarships annually to help provide students the financial assistance they need to make college a reality.

For many families that would never consider college an option, that means first and foremost making college relevant for them. Our ISACorps of near-peer mentors work across the state to reach those students and families specifically, and then to help them navigate the college-planning and the college-going processes.

Not only do we see significantly more of these students filling out the Free Application for Federal Financial Aid, but they now have a trusted resource to help them through the entire process, from admissions and financial aid to providing objective and relevant information in choosing a school and degree program that will make financial, career and personal sense for them.

The process isn’t foolproof, and we will need years of data for a full measure of outcomes. But one thing we know for sure is that knowledge is power — as much before college as it is after.

Let’s get our students to college and also make sure we empower them with the basic resources they need to get the most value possible from their college experience.

Eric Zarnikow is executive director of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Find it online at isac.org.